When we landed, we were met by what I suppose was an honour guard of elite Minbari warriors. To top it all off, it turned out Jeff was one of their leaders. Don't ask me how or why, but suddenly Sinclair, one of the best pilots in the fleet that held the Line against the Minbari, had gone from ambassador to a leader of one of their military regiments.'

The Colonel went silent at the sound of approaching feet. The waiter arrived with their main dishes, and the smell of fresh veal washed over them. Vance was almost blown away by the aroma. Certainly an improvement on squid. As the waiter glided away, the Colonel began once more.

'They are known as the Anla'shok, or Rangers, if you want a literal English translation. Their order is thousands of years old, dating back to the days of Valen.' Vance recognised the name of the ancient Minbari warrior who had supposedly turned the tide of a legendary Minbari conflict. 'They exist solely to patrol the galaxy in secret, waiting for the return of an ancient evil.' Vance frowned at the ridiculous turn this conversation was taking, made worse by the fact that his father was spewing this nonsense. 'Jeff told me that this ancient evil was returning, and the Anla'shok were the only ones who could stop it.'

'Wait a minute.' Vance had heard enough. 'You brought me all this way to tell me some hocus-pocus story an old war buddy of yours fed you? I think you were on Minbar a little too long. Are you sure it's not something they put in the water, Colonel-'

Vance was cut off by the Colonel's fist slamming into the table. By this time the rest of the restaurant's patrons had learned to mind their business.

'Dammit boy, you listen to me.' Vance had been spoken to harshly by his father for much of his childhood, but he had never seen ПредыдущаяСледующая